Alabama

Fashion Find: Fall in love with red

This red Fit and Flare coat, $198, is from Express at the Summit. (The Birmingham News / Chanda Temple)

The hot hue of the moment is red and it's everywhere.

From red party dresses at Belk to red platform pumps at Target, fashionistas are finding ways to work the color into their wardrobe.

In October, a fall red pants suit sold out within days of hitting the store floor at Express at the Summit. That was because the suits arrived within a week of lots of red appearing in fall runway shows, said Christy Shell, customer sales manager at Express.

"When you think of a coat, you think of brown and black," Shell said. "You want to be warm but you don't want to blend in with everyone else. You want to stand out."

What a steal. These platform pumps, $22.99, are from Target. (The Birmingham News / Voncille Williams)

Also in this season are vivid red lips in various formulations, from matte to cream to glosses, said makeup expert Jestina Howard, owner of Aware Cosmetics in Birmingham. She said the popular lip shades include cherry red and burnt orange. But when wearing a red lip, she cautions women not to overdo it. To soften the color, she suggests using a neutral lipliner to help define the lip.

"It's all about blending the lipliner, using soft strokes so it's not defined and harsh," she said, adding that women should make sure lips are not cracked or flaking, but moisturized and smooth, before red color is applied. Dead skin will show through medium to dark-toned lip colors.